Question about possible tweeter issue with my Paradigm Signature 8 v2's

[smfins]

I just purchased a pair of Signature 8 v2 from a local guy, and I only did about a 2 minute quick listen to ensure all the drivers were working. Well, Once i finally had time to hook them up in my setup, I noticed they sound very flat with hardly any treble. It seems as though the tweeters are only playing at about half volume at best. I compared them to my Rocket Onix RS1000's and there is definitely something wrong as the rockets sound great. What may cause a tweeter to play at a low level? I always thought a tweeter was either fully blown or not at all? I'm planning to contact paradigm. I just don't know if its the tweeters or possibly the crossover? The thing is, It's both tweeters! I'm assuming these tweeters cost a good bit to replace. maybe they can be repaired? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Steve

 

[TLS Guy]

I just purchased a pair of Signature 8 v2 from a local guy, and I only did about a 2 minute quick listen to ensure all the drivers were working. Well, Once i finally had time to hook them up in my setup, I noticed they sound very flat with hardly any treble. It seems as though the tweeters are only playing at about half volume at best. I compared them to my Rocket Onix RS1000's and there is definitely something wrong as the rockets sound great. What may cause a tweeter to play at a low level? I always thought a tweeter was either fully blown or not at all? I'm planning to contact paradigm. I just don't know if its the tweeters or possibly the crossover? The thing is, It's both tweeters! I'm assuming these tweeters cost a good bit to replace. maybe they can be repaired? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Steve

It sounds as if the previous owner almost totally fried the speakers. Most likely he abused the speakers and heated the voice coils to the point where the insulation between the wire coils broke down, shorting some of the turns. This reduces the output.

You can check this by measuring the DC resistance of the tweeters with an ohm meter and asking Paradigm, what the correct DC resistance should be. If the DC resistance is lower than spec, then you have your answer.

 

[smfins]

Thanks for the reply! I took some cheap tweeters out of some little surround speakers I have and swapped them just to get an idea. Ofcourse, the little cheapos sound much better than the regular tweeters. Looks like I'm going to have to fork over some cash. Anyone know if Paradigm repairs them? or do they only offer replacements? Any other options? Thanks again for the help!

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks for the reply! I took some cheap tweeters out of some little surround speakers I have and swapped them just to get an idea. Ofcourse, the little cheapos sound much better than the regular tweeters. Looks like I'm going to have to fork over some cash. Anyone know if Paradigm repairs them? or do they only offer replacements? Any other options? Thanks again for the help!

You must measure the DC resistance of the tweeters to get the true handle on this. I'm sure Paradigm can replace the voice coils and domes on your tweeters, as long as they have parts.

 

[PENG]

Looks like I'm going to have to fork over some cash. Anyone know if Paradigm repairs them? or do they only offer replacements? Any other options? Thanks again for the help!

I think you are right, Beryllium dome tweeters (pretty sure they started using Be in V2) are not going to be cheap. You may also need to ask Paradigm for shipping instructions because of the Beryllium. Measuring the d.c. resistance so you can compare both is a good idea but you need a good meter and measure it right at the tweeter's terminals, not the speaker terminals.

 

[Rickster71]

That's too bad, hope it works out for you.
I'm pretty sure those tweeters are about $300 each.
Sounds like you may have to go back and talk to the seller.

 

[j_garcia]

Definitely go back to the seller. Most likely sold you bad speakers. However, since you accepted them that way, he may be entirely within his rights to say it is on you now because anything could have happened since you left his place. If the seller is honest though, I'm guessing they will work with you.

 

[JerryLove]

Thanks for the reply! I took some cheap tweeters out of some little surround speakers I have and swapped them just to get an idea. Ofcourse, the little cheapos sound much better than the regular tweeters.

Though interesting, that's not diagnostic. Too many differences between tweeters.

Looks like I'm going to have to fork over some cash. Anyone know if Paradigm repairs them? or do they only offer replacements? Any other options? Thanks again for the help!

I've always gotten replacement parts rather than tried to get repairs done. Given shipping to Canada, etc; it's likely the lesser route.

It seems odd that both tweeters would be damaged to the same extent in the same way. I really recommend TLSGuy's suggestion here before proceeding.

I have ordered domes separately; if the domes are good, I'd imagine you could order the non-dome-part separately as well.

IME: Paradigm isn't the most responsive. Keep emailing / calling to get the answers you need.

 

[smfins]

Thanks for the info. Luckily I've discovered that they are still under warranty for one more month!